What types of plants can you find in the Sahara Desert?

Just like food, water is very sparse in the desert which makes it hard for plants to grow. The highest concentrations of wild plants in the desert occur on the northern and southern margins near the oases and drainages, plants such as date palms, tamarisks and acacia put down long roots to reach life-sustaining water. In more arid regions, seeds of flowering plants sprout quickly after a rain, putting down shallow roots and completing their growing cycle and producing seeds in a matter of days. Leaves on the plants also help the desert plants survive, some leaves have short hairs to trap water when needed, other leaves have a tough, oily skin to help keep the water from escaping. Also, some leaves are light in color so they can reflect off the suns harmful rays.

Trees:

The most common trees that are found in the Sahara Desert are; date, and doum palms, olive trees and magaria trees. Date palms provide food for the local population, they use them in both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Doum plants are used for molasses, tea, cake, and sweetmeats. The doum palms don't produce branches but was a sacred tree to the Egyptians, leading it to the name of "Egyptian Palm." Olives are another large export for the area and olive trees grow along the Nile River.

These are Doum Palms.

Grasses:

The most common types of grasses are eragrostis, panicum and aristida. Eragrostis is a fast-growing plant spread through the Sahara, otherwise known as "lovegrass." Pancium Turgidum is a type of grass that survives in the desert's climate by growing independently rather than in groups like other grasses.

This is the Pancium Turgidum grass.

Other Plants:

Other common plants found in the Sahara Desert include; the African welwitchsia, the African peyote cactus and thyme. The African welwitchsia survives because of its extremely deep roots. The African peyote cactus has thick stems that allow it to retain water for the long periods of time between rains. People use it medicinally and to produce the drug mescaline. Thyme is an herb used medicinally and in many Middle Eastern dishes, which is one of the main food sources for desert animals.